Let It Be cover art

  Studio Album · No. 10

Let It Be Songwriting Credits by The Beatles

1970 Apple 12 tracks 35 min

Produced by George Martin, Phil Spector  ·  Engineered by Glyn Johns (mixing)

Apple Rock
92%
Authorship
Artist

Holds writing credit on 11 of 12 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 11 / 12 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 12 tracks with documented writers, by whether The Beatles carries a lyricist or composer credit.

92%
11 trackswritten by The Beatles 1 trackoutside writers
The Beatles's roles on this album

Share of the 12 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist92%
Composer92%
Producer0%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

12
Tracks
5
Lyricists
2
Producers
3
No.1 Singles
1970
Released

Awards & Recognition 1

Grammy Award for Best Original Song Score (1971)
Data Insight

Originally the "Get Back" project, recorded in January 1969 to document the band playing live in the studio without overdubs. George Martin produced the original sessions, but Glyn Johns made three unsuccessful attempts to mix them into a releasable album. Phil Spector was then handed the tapes; his orchestral overdubs on "The Long and Winding Road" and "Across the Universe" infuriated McCartney, who spent years seeking a release without Spector's additions (eventually released as Let It Be... Naked in 2003). All three singles, "Get Back," "Let It Be," and "The Long and Winding Road", reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Let It Be is the twelfth and final studio album by The Beatles, released in May 1970 on Apple Records, four weeks after McCartney's public announcement of his departure from the group, and compiled from sessions recorded in January 1969 that were intended to document the band returning to a live, improvisational approach after the studio complexity of the White Album and Abbey Road. The production credit became one of the most contentious disputes in rock history: Phil Spector was brought in by Lennon and Klein to apply orchestral overdubs to the rough recordings, producing a final mix that McCartney publicly disavowed; he later reclaimed the original sessions in the 2003 stripped-down release Let It Be... Naked and the 2024 box set. Lennon contributed 'Across the Universe' (featuring the spoken phrase 'Jai guru deva om' over an Indian-influenced drone), 'Dig a Pony,' and 'One After 909'; McCartney contributed the title track, 'The Long and Winding Road,' and 'Get Back'; Harrison provided 'I Me Mine' and 'For You Blue,' his most extensive contribution to any Beatles album since the White Album. The sessions also captured the final public performance of The Beatles, on the rooftop of the Apple Corps building on January 30, 1969, preserved in the 2021 Peter Jackson documentary Get Back. Let It Be is simultaneously a historical document of a disintegrating band and a collection of genuinely beautiful music made in spite of that disintegration.

Track Listing & Credits 12 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
Two of Us
John LennonPaul McCartney John LennonPaul McCartney George MartinPhil Spector Paul McCartney (Lead Vocals)John Lennon (Harmony Vocals)
2
Dig a Pony
John LennonPaul McCartney John LennonPaul McCartney George MartinPhil Spector John Lennon (Lead Vocals)
3
Across the Universe
John LennonPaul McCartney John LennonPaul McCartney George MartinPhil Spector John Lennon (Lead Vocals)
4
I Me Mine
George Harrison George Harrison George MartinPhil Spector George Harrison (Lead Vocals)
5
Dig It
John LennonPaul McCartneyGeorge HarrisonRichard Starkey John LennonPaul McCartneyGeorge HarrisonRichard Starkey George MartinPhil Spector John Lennon (Lead Vocals)
6
Let It Be #1
John LennonPaul McCartney John LennonPaul McCartney George MartinPhil Spector Paul McCartney (Lead Vocals)
7
Maggie Mae
Traditional Traditional George MartinPhil Spector John Lennon (Lead Vocals)Paul McCartney (Harmony Vocals)
8
I've Got a Feeling
John LennonPaul McCartney John LennonPaul McCartney George MartinPhil Spector Paul McCartney (Lead Vocals)John Lennon (Harmony Vocals)
9
One After 909
John LennonPaul McCartney John LennonPaul McCartney George MartinPhil Spector John Lennon (Lead Vocals)Paul McCartney (Harmony Vocals)
10
The Long and Winding Road #1
John LennonPaul McCartney John LennonPaul McCartney George MartinPhil Spector Paul McCartney (Lead Vocals)
11
For You Blue
George Harrison George Harrison George MartinPhil Spector George Harrison (Lead Vocals)
12
Get Back #1
John LennonPaul McCartney John LennonPaul McCartney George MartinPhil Spector Paul McCartney (Lead Vocals)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 7 contributors

More from The Beatles

Frequently Asked Questions Let It Be

Who produced Let It Be by The Beatles?
George Martin produced the original Let It Be sessions in January 1969 but received no production credit on the released album. Phil Spector was subsequently handed the tapes and overdubbed orchestrations on several tracks, particularly "The Long and Winding Road" and "Across the Universe." Glyn Johns also made multiple attempts to mix the sessions before Spector's involvement. The contested production is a significant part of Let It Be's complicated history.
Why was Let It Be by The Beatles originally called Get Back?
The project was originally titled "Get Back" and intended to capture The Beatles recording live in the studio without overdubs, a return to basics. The sessions were filmed and later became the 2021 Peter Jackson documentary Get Back. The album was renamed Let It Be to align with the lead single released in March 1970 before the album's May 1970 release.
Did The Long and Winding Road by The Beatles reach number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100?
"The Long and Winding Road" reached number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming The Beatles' twentieth and final number-one single on that chart on June 13, 1970. Written by Paul McCartney, it is significant partly for the controversy over Phil Spector's orchestral overdubs, which McCartney publicly opposed and later had removed on Let It Be... Naked (2003).
Who wrote Let It Be the song by The Beatles?
"Let It Be" was written by Paul McCartney. McCartney has said he was inspired by a dream in which his mother Mary (who died of cancer when he was 14) offered him reassurance. The song's production on the original album includes Phil Spector's orchestrations; the Let It Be... Naked (2003) version removes Spector's additions and features a simpler arrangement closer to McCartney's original vision.
Did Let It Be by The Beatles win a Grammy Award?
Yes, Let It Be won Grammy Award for Best Original Song Score at the 13th Grammy Awards in 1971, awarded for the documentary film. The Beatles also received the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score from the accompanying film. These were among the final Grammy and Oscar recognitions for The Beatles as a group.
What is Get Back by The Beatles about?
"Get Back" was written by Paul McCartney. He initially wrote it as a satirical commentary on anti-immigration sentiment in the UK (with early lyrics mocking Enoch Powell's "Rivers of Blood" speech) but softened it into a more straightforward rock song. The final release is simply an energetic rock track; the political origin is documented in Peter Jackson's 2021 documentary Get Back. It reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks.
Was Let It Be... Naked a different version of the Let It Be album by The Beatles?
Yes, Let It Be... Naked (2003) is Paul McCartney's preferred version of the album, stripping away Phil Spector's 1970 orchestral overdubs on "The Long and Winding Road," "Across the Universe," and other tracks. It restores simpler mixes closer to the original January 1969 recordings. The original Let It Be and the Naked version both remain available.

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